The 3-digit codes you're referring to are specific references to a database of IR code families. That database is owned and maintained by a competitor of URC, so we are not able to reference that database without our competitor's permission. Given that they've spent a very large sum of money to build their database (as we have), it's highly unlikely that they would be the slightest bit interested in licensing access to their database to us.

The database our competitor uses is designed and suited for its line of consumer-oriented remotes. The URC database is intended primarily for our line of remotes that are designed to be programmed by professional home theater installers.

It's sort of like if you've ever looked in an auto mechanic's toolbox: you see lots of tools in there that don't make any sense, and you wonder why you can't easily find the wrench, hammer, and screwdriver you're looking for. The mechanic has knowledge you and I don't have, and his specialized set of tools let him do his work better and faster because he knows how each of those tools apply to the brand of car he services.

The same is true with MX-Editor and the MX-900. It was designed to be programmed by professionals, not by end users. Those professionals have access to programming manuals and training programs that teach them to quickly and professionally program these products using MX-Editor and the MX-900. While there are certainly end-users who are capable of programming these products, they are not the market the products are designed for.

In your case, the missing piece of information is probably one of the fundamental programming concepts that all URC installers know: There are so many models of AV gear out there, the database would be much harder to use if it listed every single model. Instead, the database lists key models that represent entire lines of products from the same manufacturer, all using the same set of IR codes. URC installers know through training and documentation that if you're programming an "XYZ-1001" TV and it doesn't appear in the database, it's very likely that the code IR set for the "XYZ-1000" contains all of the IR codes for the "XYZ-1001" and, most of the time, some codes that weren't even on the original remote.

Experienced installers even know that certain brands are privately manufactured by other companies, and therefore use IR codes sets from those other companies. In some cases, such a "brand hop" can even provide functionality to a product that the company that sold it never intended.

So in answer to the question of "why doesn't URC make it easier," the answer is, "we did." Because installers program the vast majority of these products, we designed them to make it easiest for the installer, with his specialized tool set and training, to program the remotes for his clients.

Best regards,
Dale